


Til Death Do Us Part

by LatinNameLuna



Category: Newsies (1992), Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Jack's dead, Kinda, M/M, Parent David Jacobs, Parent Jack Kelly, Single Parent David Jacobs, i think, keep that in mind, married javid, my goal with this is to make people cry, race and spot, some other newsies are mentioned - Freeform, this is kinda sad, widow david jacobs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:41:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27064327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LatinNameLuna/pseuds/LatinNameLuna
Summary: Davey tells his daughter the story of her other dadplease read this I'm very proud of italso read the tags and warnings and such
Relationships: David Jacobs/Jack Kelly, Past Jack Kelly/David Jacobs
Comments: 9
Kudos: 40





	Til Death Do Us Part

**Author's Note:**

> Hiiiiii  
> I'm very proud of this fic and i hope that you enjoy it. But i also hope it makes you cry because that was my intention (which is kinda masochistic if I think about it...)
> 
> I'm considering writing more with this au so please comment if you'd like that
> 
> uhhhh, I think that's all enjoy the fic!

"... And they lived happily ever after. The end." David kissed his daughter on the head and rose to leave the room. He cherished the nights he read with his daughter, as he knew they wouldn't happen for too much longer. At almost eight years old, Caitlyn was on the verge of wanting to grow up, and reading a bedtime story with her dad was not something a grown up did. 

"Daddy?" Caitlyn asked, just as David's hand reached the door knob. 

"Yes, dear?" 

"Have you ever been in love?" 

The question was innocent curiosity--likely inspired by the many books they'd read about princes and princesses falling in love--but it made David's head spin and chest ache. 

"Once." He said, returning to his seat beside her bed. "A long time ago."

David had always known that this was a story he would have to tell eventually, but he hadn't realised just how soon it would be. 

"Why do you ask, Caity?" 

She shrugged her tiny shoulders under her blanket, "I just wondered, because all of my aunts and uncles are in love, but you don't have someone." 

David knew she didn't mean any harm, but damn, was that a painful way to put it. "Well, like I said, I was in love, once. But, it didn't work out quite the way I'd hoped it would. I got you out of it, though, and that's more than good enough." He smiled, a little sad, but sincere. 

Caitlyn giggled, "Was the person you loved the man in that picture on your wall? I've never met him, but when I asked uncle Race, he said that he was someone very important to you." 

David's eyes filled with tears, and he blinked them back quickly; he didn't want Caitlyn to think she'd made him cry. 

"Yes, honey, the man in the picture is the person I was in love with." It felt strange to talk about it in the past tense, because David still loved Jack just as much as he had before he died, almost 6 years ago. Caity wouldn't understand that, though, and this was going to be hard enough to explain as it was.

"Did he love you, too?" 

_I love you, Davey, more than anything. Ta the ends of the Earth and beyond. You matter more than anythin' to me. I will love ya after both of us are nothin' more than dust. Screw 'til death do us part' I am gonna love you long after that._

Davey gave up holding back his tears, instead silently praying that Caitlyn wouldn't notice them. 

"Yes, he loved me back. And he loved you, too." 

She tilted her head in confusion. "I don't know him, though?" 

David shook his head, trying to decide how much he could say without: a) breaking down, or b) upsetting or confusing Caitlyn. He knew he'd have to tell her all of it one day, but that could wait until she was older and could understand better. 

"His name was Jack." Davey started, the name bringing a fresh wave of tears to his eyes. Obviously Davey thought about him constantly, and it wasn't unusual for him to talk about Jack to his family or friends--but the fact that he had to tell his and Jack's daughter her father's name at almost eight years old destroyed him. She was supposed to have grown up with him taking care of her by Davey's side, instead she was first hearing his name almost a decade into her life. He tried to swallow the lump in his throat. 

"You know all those pictures we have up around the house? The paintings?" Caitlyn nodded. "Jack painted those, he was an incredible artist." 

Talking about Jack always hurt, but normally he could let it out, sob onto the nearest person's shoulder--usually Spot, because everybody else was more in need of a shoulder than in any state to offer one, but Spot wasn't the type to cry in front of other people. Tonight, he had to hold back the waves of grief and heartbreak that wanted to drown him; he couldn't let Caitlyn see that. 

"He and I fell in love in high school, years before you were born. Uncle Les was about your age when Jack and I first met."

Uncle Les was now in college. Had it really been that long ago that Davey met Jack? He could remember it like it was yesterday, or even that morning. 

_It all started with a hello. Who knew that a simple greeting from a stranger at a new school would change his life so much. David hadn't been excited to start at a different school for his senior year, but it was ultimately one of the best things to ever happen to him. Or, rather, it led to it._

_"Jack Kelly." He introduced himself, the first person to have spoken to David since he'd arrived._

_"David Jacobs."_

_Jack smiled, "Nice ta meet ya Davey." and all at once, Davey was smitten._

"At first we were just friends, but I started to fall for him the day we met." Davey continued, trying to detach himself from the story- as if it was just another one of Caitlyn books--but Jack's face was so clear in his mind, and his voice filled Davey's ears as he remembered the conversations they'd shared. It hurt- _God_ it hurt so much- but he felt as though he owed this to both Caitlyn and Jack--and he never could deny them anything. 

"We started dating about half way through the year, after months of us both annoying our friends with our constant gushing about each other." He chuckled and more tears spilled. He was hardly talking to Caity anymore, he was lost in the memories of the love of his life. 

_"Davey! Hey, slow down why don't'cha!"_

_Davey allowed Jack to catch up to him with a grin, "You know, you wouldn't have to run to catch up if you didn't have such short legs." He teased._

_"Shuddup, I ain't even that much smaller than you--an' besides, you're like a freakin' tree. Anyway, ya wanna come back ta mine for a bit? I, uh, wanted ta talk ta ya bout somethin'."_

_Beneath his ever present bravado, Jack seemed almost nervous--a rare occurrence (not the nervousness itself, but rather how easily detectable it was). It was slightly troubling, so Davey agreed to go back to Jack's._

_\--------------_

_Once they were settled in Jack's room with snacks and some crappy film on, Davey finally asked Jack what was going on._

_"Right. So uh, Davey, we's friends--best friends, even." He looked to Davey for confirmation, so he nodded encouragingly. "Yeah, and uh, that ain't gonna change if I, I dunno, maybe--hypothetically--had a crush on you, or somethin'?"_

_Davey's breath caught. "Do you?" He whispered, almost too quietly to hear. He had never more feared an answer. Both boys were acutely aware of the little space between them, and neither were sure if it was going to be breached or extended. Davey prayed against the latter._

_Jack turned to face him, staring openly into his eyes. "Yeah, I do. Do you? On me I mean, obviously." He cringed and Davey laughed, more of a wobbly breath of relief than quite a laugh._

_Gazing into Jack's perfect face, with its gorgeous, shining brown eyes, there was really only one reply Davey could give. "Yeah, I do." He mimicked fondly, feeling happier than he ever had before._

_He saw his own bright mood reflected on Jack's face. "Can I please kiss you, Davey?"_

_Rather than waste time on an answer, Davey pressed his lips against Jack's in an explosion of joy and light._

David could feel his throat tightening around the words, much as he wanted to say them, he was desperately holding them back. "We were so happy." He forced out, taking a deep breath to carry on. "Before you, I'd never been happier with anyone than Jack. We stayed together all throughout college--much longer than anyone thought we would, even I doubted at times. Jack didn't, no matter what, he never for a second lost faith in us." Davey's voice cracked but he carried on. He wasn't even sure that Caitlyn was listening anymore, but he felt as though he had to keep going."When he asked me to marry him, nobody was surprised, except your uncle Spot, who thought that he'd be too scared to do it."

The day Jack had proposed was one of Davey's most meaningful memories. He'd felt invincible that day, with Jack promising to love him forever… 

Davey's chest ached with the familiar longing for Jack. The hole in his heart clenching in on itself, desperate for the man who could fill it in an instant. Just as he had, so many times before. He skipped over the details of the proposal and the wedding--he wouldn't make it through them with any composure. 

"After we got married, Jack told me that he wanted to have a baby. Not long after, you came along. You were so perfect for us, honey, you fit into our little family like you were made for it. Jack and I adored you instantly, Caitlyn, Jack was the best father you ever could've asked for."

"Better than you?" She mumbled, in sleepy disbelief, barely managing to keep her eyes open. 

"Even better than me." 

"Why isn't he here now?" 

This was the part of the story that David had been dreading most. His body tensed and his blood felt cold in his veins. Thinking about what happened next was not something Davey liked to do, but sometimes it was unavoidable, and everytime the grief hit him anew, as if the worst day of his life was starting all over again. 

"He, uh," He tried to make his voice sound less weak and shaky, but it was fruitless. "He had to go away. He didn't want to. He tried so hard to stay with us, Caity- but, he just couldn't stay."

"Will he ever come back?" Her voice was so small and sweet, and David hated to have to crush her optimism. 

"No, he can't ever come back. But he really did love you, so, so much, Caity, and he would be so proud of you if he were here now. Just like I am." 

"Well, I love him, too." Caitlyn said, already drifting off to sleep, and, oh, if that didn't shatter David's fragile heart like almost nothing else. 

_You hear that, Jack? We love you, endlessly._

And though he knew it was impossible, and he was exhausted and emotional and not in his right mind, David could've sworn he heard Jack reply. 

**I love ya both, too, Davey. Forever after death.**


End file.
